Lion is an upstart line of dandelion teas that are currently available in four flavors: Mint, Lemon & Honey, Hibiscus & Blueberry, and Blood Orange & Ginger. The products are packaged in 10 oz. glass bottles and contains a modest level of calories (35-50) and sugar (8-10g).

Inside the bottle, they’ve blended organic dandelion root, organic dandelion leaf, and organic dandelion flower to create an herbal base that’s used across the four flavors. They position this as a prebiotic tea that has medicinal benefits, which is a different pitch than what you’ll find on a traditional tea.

Each of the four flavors contains juice ranging from 6 percent on the Mint and Lemon & Honey up to 18 percent on the Blood Orange & Ginger flavor. This is a very noticeable part of what you taste in each flavor, although the juices, which are from concentrate, are a bit of a throwback to the old days of juice-flavored teas.

That said, it might not be a surprise that our two favorite flavors are the Mint and Lemon & Honey varieties. These two offerings have less juice flavor, which allows the dandelion tea to take a bit more of the focus. Furthermore, the non-juice flavors that they’ve added, mint in the Mint flavor and honey and salt in the Lemon and Honey flavor, are great pairings with the floral and earthy flavor of the dandelion. For the other two flavors, we feel as though the fruit flavors are a bit too strong.

Taking a look at the packaging and branding, Lion definitely has some good stuff going on. For starters, the look of the packaging is eye-catching and fits the part of an herbal tea. Both the shape of the bottle and the design of the label feel like something that could cut through the clutter of the tea category.

However, there are a few things that we’d like to see addressed. First and foremost is the placement of the flavor name. It’s currently at the very bottom of the bottle. This needs to be placed in a more prominent location. Second, there’s a certain level of playfulness to the content on their website. You’ll find statements like “our weed is legal” and “dangerously refreshing & slightly bitter (like your ex)” which seem at odds with the look of the product and the type of consumer that it might lure in.

All in all, this is a nice first effort for a startup company. The concept seems sound and they’ve proven that they can create some enjoyable formulations. If Lion can continue to evolve and refine their lineup, we think there’s some potential here.